File: IHBG - Home Schooling File: IHBG - Home SchoolingWhen a parent/guardian of a student who has attained the age of seven years and is below the age of 16 chooses to establish a home-based educational program for a child, the following procedures shall be followed in accordance with law:
1. The parent/guardian must submit, on an annual basis, written notification of establishment of the home-based program to the Secretary to the Board 14 days before the program is implemented.
2. The parent/guardian must certify in writing, on a form provided by the district, the name, age, place of residence and number of hours of attendance of each of his/her children enrolled in the program.
3. The superintendent shall give the parent 14 days written notice to produce records required by law if there is probable cause to believe the program is not in compliance with the law.
4. Each student in a home-based program shall be evaluated when the student is in the third, fifth, seventh, ninth and 11th grades. The student's academic progress shall be evaluated either by giving a nationally standardized achievement test or by submitting an evaluation of the student conducted by a qualified person as defined in state law.
The student's test or evaluation results shall be submitted to the district or to a parochial or independent school in Colorado. If the test or evaluation results are submitted to a parochial or independent school, the name of the school shall be provided to the district.
5. If the student's composite score on the test is above the 13th percentile, the student shall continue to be eligible for the home-based educational program and exempt from compulsory attendance. If the score is at or below the 13th percentile, the parent/guardian shall be given the opportunity to have the student re-tested using an alternate version of the same test or a different nationally standardized test selected by the parent/guardian from a list supplied by the State Board of Education.
6. If the evaluation conducted by a qualified person indicates that the student is making sufficient academic progress according to ability, the student shall continue to be exempt from compulsory attendance.
7. If there is no retest or if the composite score on a retest continues to be at or below the 13th percentile or if the evaluation conducted by a qualified person indicates that the student is not making sufficient academic progress, the district shall take steps to require the parent/guardian to enroll the student in a public or independent or parochial school.
Enrolled part-time
If a home schooled student chooses to attend any classes at Summit School District schools they will be required to be enrolled in and attend a minimum of 90 hours of pupil-teacher contact and instruction per semester. Also, the student will need to be registered for and attending class(es) before and on the official count date. The only exception to this allows a home schooled student to attend a single music class at the elementary level or band or choir at the middle and high school levels.
If a student is currently enrolled in another school district, a parochial school or independent school they cannot be enrolled in Summit School District.
Extracurricular and interscholastic activities
Students participating in home-based educational programs or parochial or independent schools have the same rights as district students to participate in district extracurricular and interscholastic activities if they meet the requirements of state law and district policy. District extracurricular and interscholastic activities are those activities that do not have a class associated with the activity and students participating in the activity are not also required to take the corresponding class.
District extracurricular and interscholastic activities do not include social events such as the homecoming dance, prom, talent shows or other dances. Home, parochial or independent school students may participate in social events as guests of enrolled public school students per the guest guidelines established by the school principal.
Such participation is subject to the same rules of any interscholastic organization or association of which the district is a member, applicable law and the district's eligibility requirements. During times when a home school student is attending public school classes or participating in school activities he/she must observe and abide by all the rules and regulations that apply to regular students and the home school student shall be responsive to school authority.
If a student withdraws from the school district more than 15 days after the start of the school year and enters a home-based educational program, the school district shall remain the child's district of attendance for purposes of extracurricular and interscholastic activities. If the child was eligible to participate in extracurricular or interscholastic activities when he or she withdrew, from the public school, the child will remain eligible to participate for the remainder of the academic year.
Habitually truant students
Any student who has been declared habitually truant at any time during the last six months of attending public school before the proposed enrollment in a home-based educational program may not be enrolled unless the parent/guardian first submits a written description of the curricula to be used along with the written notification required in paragraph #1 above.
Re-entering district schools
A student from a home-based program may re-enter the district's schools at any time. With the consent of the student's parent/guardian, the district shall place the student at the grade level deemed most appropriate by the district. All students from home-based programs must demonstrate proficiency in the district-adopted content standards at their appropriate placement level. The district may test the student to determine placement.
The district shall accept the transcripts from a home-based educational program. In order to determine whether the courses and grades earned are consistent with district requirements and district academic standards, the district shall require submission of the student's work or other proof of academic performance for each course for which credit toward graduation is sought. In addition, the district may administer testing to the student to verify the accuracy of the student's transcripts. The district may reject any transcripts that cannot be verified through such testing. See policy IKF.
Adopted August 22, 1995
Revised February 7, 2001
Revised August 27, 2003
Revised June 13, 2007
Revised March 27, 2012
Revised: March 25, 2014
LEGAL REFS.: C.R.S. 22-7-409 (1.2)(d)(I)(B)(III) (home school students not required to take state assessments)
C.R.S. 22-32-116.5(2) (extracurricular and interscholastic activities)
C.R.S. 22-33-104.5 (home-based education law)
C.R.S. 22-33-104.5 (3)(f) (scores on nationally standardized tests or evaluations are not considered when measuring school performance and determining accreditation)
C.R.S. 22-33-107 (compulsory attendance law)
CROSS REFS.: JGA, Assignment of New Students to Classes and Grade Levels
JHB, Truancy
JJJ, Extracurricular Activity Eligibility